The Social Archeology Channel

Getting to the top of a pedestal is the easy part. Staying there can be much more difficult when others are determined to knock you off of the perch. Such was the case with Bubble Yum, the first soft bubble gum to hit the market in 1975. Enormously popular when it was introduced, it would soon find itself waging war, not only against a handful of competitors, but also an army of imaginary spiders. Continue reading...

Based on the title alone, one might assume that Beethoven was a period piece, chronicling the life and career of the prolific classical composer. But judging a book by its cover in this case would be unwise – this 1992 comedy film was instead about a big ol’ loveable ball of fur, a St. Bernard who loved children and finding ways to get into trouble. Continue reading...

You stayed up way past your bedtime to celebrate the ball-dropping festivities in Times Square. Now, it's the next morning and bleary-eyed, you huddle in front of the television in anticipation of a grand spectacle with countless marching bands and fanciful floats constructed of colorful flowers. It's time to welcome in the New Year with a tradition that dates back well over a hundred years, the Tournament of Roses Parade. Continue reading...

If anyone discovered the location of the mythical fountain of youth, it was Dick Clark. Over many a decade, his seeming inability to age led to the nation affectionately dubbing him "America's teenager". Host of American Bandstand for three decades, and the man who collectively led us into every New Year's celebration for forty years, Dick Clark was nothing short of an icon, beloved by millions. Continue reading...

With the exception of the coastal areas of the country, Asian food wasn't always so easy to come by in decades past. Today, you can't drive ten miles without running into a Panda Express, but in simpler times, the only exposure that many people had to Chinese cuisine came by way of La Choy, sold in cans at the supermarket. Continue reading...

In the 70s, if decal-laden shirts and patched jeans wasn’t enough to promote your preferred philosophy, tastes in music, or even your favorite beer, there was still a little bit of bodily real estate to let the world know who you were and what you held dear. Of course, we are talking about the obligatory, over-sized belt buckle, keeping those jeans securely in place while letting the world know of your intent to “Keep on Truckin!” or whatever other declaration you needed to share. Continue reading...

As the longest-running prime time medical drama in the history of television, ER took viewers into the emergency room of the fictional County General Hospital for 15 seasons, following the lives of a team of dedicated doctors and nurses amidst all of the chaos of a typical trauma center. Continue reading...

Humorist Jean Shepherd's memoirs of his youth in the early 1940's were compiled into a Christmastime feature in 1983, with Shepherd himself as the off-screen narrator. The result was a film that may have looked and sounded like a period piece, but A Christmas Story's nostalgic wit turned it into an undeniable, modern-day holiday classic. Continue reading...